Scientists are exploring the potential of gene de-extinction, a process where ancient DNA is used to bring back extinct species or traits. Colossal Biosciences created “woolly mice” with genetic changes to mimic the furriness of mammoths, but only one letter of mammoth DNA was actually used. The field, dubbed “chronogenics,” has a short history. In 2004, researchers reconstructed the 1918 influenza virus, which had killed 30 million people, by using DNA from a frozen body. In 2008, Australian scientists added a fragment of Tasmanian tiger DNA to mice, showing it could regulate gene activity. By 2016, Ginkgo Bioworks isolated genes from extinct flowers to create perfumes inspired by their scents. In 2023, a Japanese team added a Neanderthal mutation to mice to study anatomical changes. The record for genetic edits in one cell stands at over 13,000, set in 2019, which is significant for projects like turning elephants into mammoths. However, some scientists argue that these efforts might only produce crude approximations of extinct species.
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